Cajun mac and cheese with hamburger

This is a classic homemade mac and cheese dinner with a twist. Since it pretty much rained out any Labor day grilling, this cajun mac and cheese dish was the indoor cookout. I’ve never tried to make homemade mac and cheese so this was an exciting culinary milestone for me. There’s nothing like watching all of that cheese melt into a creamy cheesy sauce that screams eat me. This recipe easily feeds four and could probably satisfy six. I made this for two so I’ll be eating mac and cheese for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the next week.

Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add 1 pound of large elbow macaroni. Cook according to package directions.

Start by cooking 1/2 pounds of hamburger in a large skillet. Sprinkle the hamburger with 2 tsp of the cajun seasoning of your choice. (I’ll have a page up very soon with seasoning recipes that come in handy when you want to create your own). Once the hamburger is browned, drain and remove it from the skillet and set aside.

(Sorry for the blurry picture) Now make a basic Bechamel sauce. In the large skillet used to brown the hamburger, melt 4 tbsp of butter over low heat and whisk in 1/4 cup of flour. Don’t let it boil and cook for about 2 minutes. Whisk in 1/4 tsp of nutmeg and salt/pepper to taste. Turn off the heat.

The most exciting step has now arrived. Its time to incorporate the cheese. Add 2 cups of grated cheddar cheese (medium sharpness) and 1 cup of grated Gruyere cheese. Stir to melt the cheese and add in your cooked hamburger..

Drain the large elbow noodles and give yourself a steam bath.

Stir inwards to mix the cheese sauce, noodles, and hamburger. Now grab a bowl and indulge yourself.

Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add 1 pound of large elbow macaroni. Cook according to package directions.

Start by cooking ½ pounds of hamburger in a large skillet. Sprinkle the hamburger with 2 tsp of the cajun seasoning of your choice.

Once the hamburger is browned, drain and remove it from the skillet and set aside.

Now make a basic Bechamel sauce. In the large skillet used to brown the hamburger, melt 4 tbsp of butter over low heat and whisk in ¼ cup of flour. Don't let it boil and cook for about 2 minutes. Whisk in ¼ tsp of nutmeg and salt/pepper to taste. Turn off the heat.

Justin

Somehow we lucked out and got no rain 🙂 We could see the rain and lightening over in Ohio but it never made it to our side of the river. Sorry that you ended up with rain. Your recipe looks great though!